The Influence of the Spirit of Prophecy on Evangelistic Preaching
MELVIN K. ECKENROTH Assistant Professor of Practical Theology, S.D.A. Theological Seminary PART I
The Spirit of prophecy was decades in advance of the times as concerned the need and procedures for gospel and evangelistic techniques. The testimony concerning methods, techniques, and content was always far in advance of the accepted processes of the time. Even today, many of the principles enunciated by God's messenger are far in advance of the present generation. We haven't caught up yet!
The gospel worker who senses the call of God is to be basically prepared for his ministry by virtue of his burden for the lost. The high call of the minister is constantly emphasized throughout the writings of the Spirit of prophecy.
"As the shepherd is to go after the lost sheep, he is. not to have merely a casual interest, but an earnest travail for souls. This calls for most earnest heart searching, most earnest prayerful seeking for God, in order that we may know Him and the power of His grace."-Evangelism, p. 628. "How few of us are heart to heart with the Redeemer in this solemn, closing work! There is scarcely a tithe of the compassion that there should be for souls unsaved. There are so many to be warned, and yet how few sympathize with God sufficiently to be anything or nothing if only they can see souls won to Christ!"-Gospel Workers, p. 116. (Italics supplied.) This earnest travail for souls is inextricably interwoven into the fabric of evangelistic preaching. Passionless preaching is not evangelistic preaching at all. "There is too little weeping between the porch and the altar, and crying, 'Spare Thy people, 0 Lord, and give not Thine heritage to reproach.' There are too many long doctrinal sermons preached without one spark of spiritual fervor and the love of God. There is ... too little said of the love and compassion of Jesus Christ."-Evangelism, p. 641. "It is not enough to preach to men; we must pray with them and for them; we must not hold APRIL, 1954 ourselves coldly aloof from them, but come in sympathy close to the souls we wish to save."-Ibid.
Compassion and Tenderness
It is because the preaching of the minister reflects the depth of his experience with God that the Spirit of prophecy was led to say so much about the importance of a personal spiritual experience. "The Lord wants men to forget them!elves in the effort to save souls .... God will not work with a harsh, stubborn, loveless man. Such a man spoils the pattern that Christ desires His workers to reveal to the world."-Ibid., p. 629. Here is a fundamental necessity to successful evangelistic preaching. "Men may speak fluently upon doctrines, and may express strong faith in theories, but do they possess Christianlike meekness and love? If they reveal a harsh, critical spirit, they are denying Christ. If they are not kind, tenderhearted, longsuffering, they are not like .Jesus; they are deceiving their own souls. A spirit contrary to the ·love, humility, meekness, and gentleness of Christ, denies Him, whatever may be the profession."Ibid., pp. 632, 633.
The Spirit of prophecy appropriately enough places strong emphasis upon the relationship of the spirit of the minister to his whole general approach to souls. "Talk to the sinner with your own heart overflowing with the tender, pitying love of Christ. Let there be deep earnestness, but not a harsh, loud note should be heard in the voice of one who is trying to win the soul to look and live. First have your own soul consecrated to God. As you look upon our Intercessor in heaven, let your heart be broken. Then, softened and subdued, you can address repenting sinners as one who realizes the power of redeeming love."-Ibid., pp. 298, 299.
Secret of a Called Experience
How is the worker to achieve these marvelous qualities that are so essential to a successful ministry for Christ? On this vital question the Spirit of prophecy is not silent. "The worker for God should put forth the highest mental and moral energies with which nature. cultivation, and the grace of God have endowed him; but his success will be proportionate to the degree of consecration and self-sacrifice in which his work is done, rather than to either natural or acquired endowments .... Divine grace is the greatest element of saving power; without it all human effort is unavailing."-Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, pp. 537, 538.
The emphasis is unmistakable. No minister can safely ignore this profound concept and expect to be successful in his evangelistic work. No mechanics, no human invention, no mere human devising or setting up of man-made techniques, will ever be sufficient for the Adventist evangelist. "Christian worth does not depend on brilliant talents, lofty birth, wonderful powers, but on a clean heart-a heart purified and refined, that does not exalt self, but, by beholding Christ, reflects the long lost image of divinity."-Evangelism, p. 135. These matchless words of hope open up before every worker the possibility of a successful ministry regardless of his background or heritage. These are indeed the things of value that make the work of the gospel minister not only joyous but completely satisfying.
What the Adventist Is to Preach
The message we are to preach is clear and decisive, and unmistakably identified. "The Lord desires His servants today to preach the old gospel doctrine, sorrow for sin, repentance, and confession."-Ibid., p. 179. This is the beginning point in the identification of materials to preach. "Christ crucified, Christ risen, Christ ascended into the heavens, Christ coming again, should so soften, gladden, and fill the mind of the minister that he will present these truths to the people in love and deep earnestness."-Gospel Workers, p. 159. Here are additional themes. Important as they are, even others should be added. "Some ministers think that it is not necessary to preach repentance and faith."-Ibid., p. 158. How can any man fail to see the importance of these subjects? "The world should no longer say that Seventh-day Adventists talk the law, the law, but do not teach or believe Christ."-Testimonies to Ministers, p. 92.
To these words must be added the significant truth that- "the religionist generally has divorced the law and the gospel, while we have on the other hand almost done the same from another standpoint. We have Page 12 not held up before the people the righteousness of Christ and the full significance of His great plan of redemption we have left out Christ and His matchless love, and brought in the theories and reasonings, preached arguments."-Evangelism, pp. 231, 232. This is indeed a serious indictment to which the Adventist evangelist must pay special heed. "These are our themes--Christ crucified for our sins, Christ risen from the dead, Christ our intercessor before God; and closely connected with these is the office work of the Holy Spirit, the representative of Christ."-Ibid., p. 187. "His pre-existence,
His coming the second time in glory and power, His personal dignity, His holy law uplifted, are the themes that have been dwelt upon with simplicity and power."-Ibid. These, then, are at least some of the important subjects which the Adventist minister must not ignore. Here is ample challenging "content" for his sermons.
How to Organize His Subjects
But the Spirit of prophecy goes even further than this in giving direction to the Adventist evangelist. "Do not at the outset press before the people the most objectionable features of our faith, lest you close the ears of those to whom these things come as a new revelation."-Ibid., p. 141. "Agree with the people on every point where you can consistently do so."-Ibid.
This valuable counsel is based on the most solid of all foundations. Concerning the example of the Master, the messenger of God declared: "He [Christ] disturbed as little as possible their accustomed train of thought, by abrupt actions or prescribed rules. . . . He brings men under the transforming power of truth by meeting them where they are. He gains access to the heart by securing sympathy and confidence, making all feel that His identification with their nature and interest is complete."-Ibid., p. 140. The broadest principles of subject sequence are set forth: "The best and wisest plan would be to dwell upon subjects that would arouse the conscience. He could talk to them upon practical godliness; devotion and piety; and present the self-denial, selfsacrificing life of Jesus as our example until they will see the contrast in their self-indulgent life, and become dissatisfied with their unchristian lives. Then present to them the prophecies."-Ibid., p. 226. To these broad principles need only be added the distinctive doctrines. And as one might expect, the messenger of God again gives precise counsel on this point.
Non-Adventist Ministers
"When our laborers enter a new field, they should seek to become acquainted with the pastors of the several churches in the place. Much has been lost by neglecting to do this. If our ministers show themselves friendly and sociable, and do not act as if they were ashamed of the message they bear, it will have an excellent effect, and may give these pastors and their congregations favorable impressions of the truth. At any rate, it is right to give them a chance to be kind and favorable if they will. "Our laborers should be very careful not to give the impression that they are wolves stealing in to get the sheep, but should let the ministers understand their position and the object of their mission- to call the attention of the people to the truths of God's Word. There are many of these which are dear to all Christians.
Here is common ground, upon which we can meet people of other denominations; and in becoming acquainted with them we should dwell mostly upon topics in which all feel an interest, and which will not lead directly and pointedly to the subjects of disagreement."- Evangelism, pp. 143, 144. Here is a specific instance where the instruction of the Spirit of prophecy was years ahead of the actual practice of the times. Even so, we have not as yet universally adopted these principles as a fundamental of Seventh-day Adventist evangelism: Think of this instruction: "Our ministers should seek to come near to the ministers of other denominations."-Ibid., p. 562. How often in the past have we ignored this requirement for good public relations!
We are further told that "our ministers are to make it their special work to labor for ministers. They are not to get into controversy with them."-Ibid. APRIL, 1954 The inevitable losses that accrue, owing to the neglect of doing this type of work, were foreseen more than sixty years ago. "Much has been lost by our people through following such narrow plans that the more intelligent, better-educated classes are not reached. . . . It requires much wisdom to reach ministers and men of influence. But why should they be neglected as they have been by our people? . . . God has a work to be done which the workers have not yet fully comprehended."-Ibid., pp. 562, 563. Along with this counsel goes the natural complement of "opportunity to speak in other churches" as well as a chance to urge judicious young men to join the YMCA. (Ibid., p. 563.) (Concluded next month)
Australasian Evangelists I Have Known
WILLIAM R. SCRAGG President, New South Wales Conference, Australia [EDITORIAL NOTE.-As a group of workers we are for some reason altogether too reticent about giving credit where credit is due. It is refreshing to see a conference president here deviating from this reticence. A word of encouragement is always a fine thing. The early evangelistic ventures of the editor of THE MINISTRY are mentioned in this article, which has been placed in this issue without consulting him (!) while he was engaged in an evangelistic campaign in Portland, Oregon.-B. c.]
In making this survey of evangelists with whom I have served, I am looking back over nineteen years of experience as a president. I thought such a survey might prove helpful to younger evangelists who are climbing the steep stairway to successful evangelism. My experience as a president goes back to North New Zealand, to the year 1925. I had just started meetings in a theater in Gisborne when I was called into the presidency. In those few Sunday night meetings I saw enough interest to make me urge the sending of Roy Anderson there with a team. It was a thrilling experience to see up to six hundred people in his meetings.
From there, Pastor Anderson went on to bigger and bigger things in Brisbane, London, and America! He was even then an outstanding speaker, a hard worker, and an evangelist who called his workers and churches to prayer. At the time of the Gisborne effort a young man of considerable singing ability came in touch with us. I had him and his wife sing in the few meetings I took. Later he sang for Pastor Anderson. He took hold of the message, or rather, the message took hold of him. He went to the Longburn Missionary College, from where we called him into evangelism to work with L. R. Harvey at Stratford. That young man grew in experience with Walter E. Battye, with whom he did valuable work in the Hamilton and Cambridge district in North New Zealand. His name will go down in the history of evangelism in this field through the Voice of Prophecy-L. C. Naden had and has all the qualifications of a successful evangelist. Reference is made above to Walter E. Battye. It was when Roy Anderson left Gisborne that we called Pastor Battye to Gisborne to hold and to build upon the work there. From there we called him to Auckland, and from there to Hamilton and later to Sydney. Pastor Battye is among the successful evangelists of Australasia. Two other men rise before me as I write, with whom I was associated in evangelism in North New Zealand-Jim Pascoe and Frank Rampton.
Both did excellent work and were successful evangelists. Leaving North New Zealand, I pass over to Perth, where I was city evangelist for three years. With me were associated Stewart Uttley and Ernest Reye. It was their great help that contributed to the baptizing of nearly two hundred persons during the three years of the evangelistic campaign.
Later, when I was sent down to Tasmania as president, Stewart Uttley was there as a sort of "jackaroo" doing odd jobs in evangelism and young people's work. Recognizing his talents and recognizing, too, that from a yearly conference tithe of £2,300 it was impossible to give him the opportunity he deserved, I urged that he be given a chance elsewhere. The brethren sent him to South New Zealand. It is now history in Australasian evangelism that Stewart Uttley held large audiences in both the great cities of South New Zealand, with inspiring baptisms. From there he went to Perth, and now he is in Hobart. Pastor Uttley ranks with the number of successful evangelists in this field. At the same time that I entered Tasmania another young man was growing into prominence- George Burnside. He baptized eleven persons at Bridgeport that year, the only ones baptized during the whole year in the conference. We called him to Launceston. It was the tragic year when World War II broke out. Pastor Burnside was holding meetings that were not gathering large audiences. He showed me a handbill he had had printed. It was the morning of September 2; the Nazi guns and tanks had started to blast through Poland. I advised George to scrap the handbill and to get out Page 14 another on the subject "Can Hitler March His Storm Troops Over and Conquer Europe?" He did that.
The King's Hall was filled with eager listeners. Lonehanded except for help given him by his good wife, George Burnside baptized forty persons that year. From Tasmania he went to North New Zealand, South New Zealand, Adelaide, Newcastle, and Brisbane, rising to the pinnacle as one of the most prolific soul winners in Australasia. When in 1941 I went to Adelaide, Lewis Fitzroy Were was there as city evangelist. He ran a successful mission. He, too, was an outstanding soul winner. It was in his campaign that a certain young man did fine work. Later that young man went to Albany and Denmark in Western Australia, then back to Adelaide and Mount Gambier.
From there we called him to Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, and in spite of the fact that four years before a mission was conducted in Wagga with no results in the city, yet he is having one of the most successful efforts ever held in a country city or town. Austin Cooke is moving rapidly into prominence as a successful evangelist. We come to the "last but not least" of evan.gelists with whom I have been associated, and that is James William Kent. To all fair-thinking men James Kent stands out as one of the greatest evangelists Australia has retained. He worked in Brisbane, Concord, Sydney, then Auckland and South New Zealand, running missions in Christchurch, Timaru, and Dunedin. Through his work there the membership of South New Zealand was doubled. Later he returned to Australia to conduct campaigns in Sydney, Bathurst, Cowra, et cetera.
When South Australia was without a leading evangelist we called him to Adelaide. He was still having success as an evangelist until he was called to South Australia as president. I recognize very truly that the above are not all the great evangelists who have helped to build the membership of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination of Australia. Such men as Ted Rudge, Reuben Hare, Erwin Roenfelt, Dave Sibley, and others are here unnamed only because I did not personally serve with them. Then, too, consider the faithful men who have held and are holding churches together as pastors and at the same time winning a quota of souls year by year. One needs also to recognize that talent must have opportunity. I would say to our young evangelists not to be satisfied with small things. Have courage, work hard, study hard, pray much, observe, retain, and attempt great things for God. Be a burning bush for evangelism from whom the voice of God can be heard. Invite the tongues of Pentecostal fire to set you on fire for God. Remember the words of Longfellow: "The heights by great men reached and kept ·were not attained by sudden flight, But they while their companions slept Were toiling upward in the night." God give us evangelists, men whom indolence and sloth cannot buy, men who will, through Christ, succeed though others fail!
Shall We Revise Our Views on Zionism?-Part III
Who Are God's Chosen People Today?
S. A. KAPLAN Editor, Jewish Magazine, "The Sabbath Exponent"
Many of the erroneous ideas entertained by Protestants concerning the Jews stem from a misapprehension of the term "Israel" Too often they mistakenly assume that the name "Israel'' applies only to Abraham's literal offspring. Consequently, when Paul declares in Romans ll, "And so all Israel shall be saved,'' they interpret this to mean that the entire jewish nation will yet be converted to Christ. And by the same token they interpret the 144,- 000 sealed Israelites of Revelation 7 to be the Israel in the flesh. And on the same false premise, they uniformly interpret many prophecies concerning the final gathering of spiritual Israel as applying to the Jewish nation of today. By this unwarranted wresting of Scripture, Protestants make the Jews both the type and the antitype. That ancient Israel was a type of spiritual Israel is iterated and reiterated in the Bible, but space will permit us to quote but a few references:
"Now all these things happened unto them [literal Israel] for ensamples [margin, "types'']: and they are written for our [spiritual Israel's] admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come" (1 Cor. 10: 11). "They are not all Israel, which are of Israel: neither, because they are the [literal] seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed" (Rom. 9:6-8) . "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; ... but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; ... whose praise is not of men, but of God" (Rom. 2:28, 29). "If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Gal. 3:29) . "But ye [Christians] are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (l Peter 2:9) . The reader will observe that essentially the same, identical phrases which are applied by Peter to spiritual Israel, were anciently spoken of the literal seed of Israel. We quote: "Say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; ... Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: ... and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation" (Ex. 19:3-6).
The Spirit of Prophecy on Spiritual Israel
The following are a few excerpts from the Spirit of prophecy concerning spiritual Israel. We quote: "In symbolic language Hosea set before the ten tribes God's plan of restoring to every penitent soul who would unite with His church on earth, the blessings granted Israel in the days of their loyalty to Him in the promised land."-Prophets and Kings, p. 298. (Italics supplied.) "In proclaiming the truths of the ever lasting gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, God's church on earth today is fulfilling the ancient prophecy, 'Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.' "-Ibid., p. 703. (Italics supplied.) "In heathen Africa, in the Catholic lands of Europe and of South America, in China, in India, in the islands of the sea, and in all the dark corners of the earth, God has in reserve a firmament of chosen ones that will yet shine forth amidst the darkness .... Even now they are appearing in every nation, among every tongue and people .... Then let no man attempt to number Israel to-day."-Ibid., p. 189. (Italics supplied.)
Spiritual Israel to Be Gathered at Jesus' Second Coming
When and how will the prophecies of Ezekiel 37, Isaiah 11, and others which refer to the gathering in of the Israel of God be fulfilled? When will "David my servant" "be their prince for ever"? When will God's sanctuary "be in the midst of them for evermore?" 'When will Judah and Israel "be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all" (Ezekiel 37)? When will that king come whose right it is to reign on David's throne, which was vacated by the wicked king Zedekiah, and which has been vacant ever since? All these prophecies began to be fulfilled at Jesus' first advent, and they will be consummated after the total destruction of sin and sinners. Before Jesus' birth the angel Gabriel announced to Mary: "Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever: and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:31-33).
David's Throne Restored Forever
At the close of the millennium, when fire will come down from God out of heaven, and will consume Satan and the great host of the wicked, then it is that the Israel of God out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall return to their everlasting possessions. We read: "And my servant David [Jesus] shall be their prince for ever . ... My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore" (Eze. 37:25-28). John the revelator, who was privileged to behold in vision the glorious fulfillment of this prediction, uses words that are almost identically the same as those used by Ezekiel. (See Revelation 21: I-3.) The heavenly Zion, the New Jerusalem, will be the center of the true theocracy throughout eternity, and thither the true Israelites will bring their trophies of praise from one new moon to another and from one Sabbath to another. "And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away" (Isa. 35:10).
Among the redeemed will be a large number of Abraham's literal seed of every tribe; souls who through the ages were snatched as firebrands from "the burning" by the mighty arm of Christ, their loving Redeemer. But by far the greatest ingathering of the lost sheep of the house of Israel will take place under the preaching of the third angel's message, for the messenger of the Lord has told us: "There will be many converted from among the Jews, and these converts will aid in preparing the way of the Lord .... Converted Jews are to have an important part to act in the great preparations to be made in the future to receive Christ, our Prince. A nation shall be born in a day."-Evangelism, p. 579. (Italics supplied.)
False Teaching Concerning Zionism Judged by Its Fruit
Such are the teachings of the Scriptures and of the Spirit of prophecy concerning Israel. These have an irresistible drawing power, attracting the sinner to God, to Christ, and to holiness.
On the other hand, what influence does the popular teaching concerning the restoration of the Jewish nation and the illusory expectation of a temporal millennium exert upon the Jewish heart and mind? Let us pose a few pertinent questions:
I. Does this false doctrine cause the Jews to sense their need of a Saviour from sin? This is highly improbable, for this popular teaching inculcates and breeds iq the heart of the Jew a feeling of exaltation rather than of abasement, of self-righteousness rather than of a conviction of sin. Indeed, it confirms him all the more strongly in the Talmudic tradition that all Jews (literal Israel) will have a part in the world to come.
2. Does the popular Protestant belief concerning Zionism tend to impress the Jew with the shortness of time; that today "is the day of salvation," that "to day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart"? Does it convince him that the second coming of Christ and the destruction of the world are imminent? On the contrary, it creates a false sense of security in the heart of the Jew by presenting before him the flattering prospect of his restoration to divine favor by an arbitrary decree of God, and by holding up before him the delusion of a temporal millennium in which he and his fellow Jews will be the chief executives, administrators, and rulers! The Jew is thus encouraged to believe in a future national salvation, rather than to sense a present urgent need of individual> personal conversion. This false doctrine, instead of leading the Jew to beat upon his breast, like the publican of old, and say, "God be merciful to me a sinner," encourages in him a pharisaical spirit, a superiority complex, and fosters spiritual pride and a self-righteous attitude, thus imperiling his soul.
No, Seventh-day Adventists have no cause to change their views on the Zionist question. Let us rather hold fast to the teachings of the Bible and of the Spirit of prophecy on this subject, and refuse to give heed to "cunningly devised fables," "whereby they [the false teachers] lie in wait to deceive." Let those who love the Lord and who anticipate His second coming with joy, invite both Jew and Gentile to join in the grand procession toward that heavenly Zion, that land of peaceable habitations, sure dwellings, and quiet resting places, where none shall make them afraid, so that together with the Israel of all the ages and of every nation they may partake of the pure and unalloyed pleasures of God's glorious and everlasting kingdom, world without end!
